Press Releases

Pertino Launches BlueSky™ Partner Program For Cloud-Centric Channels

LOS GATOS, Calif. – Sept. 22, 2014 – Pertino, a company reinventing networking for the mobile and cloud era, today announced the launch of its BlueSky™ Partner Program, a new multi-channel program tailored for cloud-centric IT consultants, resellers, distributors, service providers and marketplaces. Additionally, the company developed the BlueSky Partner Portal to support partner selling, marketing and support activities, as well as new partner-based billing and onboarding capabilities for its Cloud Network Engine platform. The BlueSky Partner Program is designed to provide a high degree of incentive and support for partners as they incorporate Pertino cloud networking services into their sales channels, product and service portfolios and marketplaces.

“The cloud is not only disrupting traditional IT models—displacing hardware with software and services—it’s disrupting long-standing channel models built on boxes. Rising from this disruption is a new breed of hybrid and born-in-the-cloud channels that go beyond distribution to create tailored solutions for customers by bundling, integrating and extending cloud services with other solutions and professional services to create new recurring revenue streams,” said Jeffrey Kaplan, managing director of THINKstrategies and founder of the Cloud Computing Showplace. “Pertino’s new BlueSky Partner Program is designed with this new breed of cloud-centric channel in mind, and its Cloud Network Engine is a compelling platform for powering new cloud-based network services.”

Programs Targeting the Full Spectrum of Cloud-Centric Channels

When it comes to cloud, there are a growing number of channels to market. Many smaller, consulting-oriented partners simply refer solutions to their customers. On the other end of the spectrum, a new breed of cloud-enablers are creating hybrid solutions that integrate multiple cloud services with unified billing and support, some even extending these solutions with custom development. To meet this growing channel diversity, BlueSky offers different programs and platform capabilities tailored to the way partners work. With four different program levels—Prime, Select, Elite and Premier, partners can start with a minimal commitment and earn higher levels of recurring revenue and entitlements as their business grows with Pertino over time.

Affiliate: A referral program that makes it easy for partners to join and register deals online. Pertino handles all of the selling, onboarding, billing and support and, if the deal closes, the partner gets a one-time commission payment for up to 20 percent of the annual subscription revenue.

Cloud Reseller: Partners that resell standard Pertino service plans will receive recurring commission payments based on their program level. Pertino takes care of customer onboarding, billing and post-sales support.

Managed Service Provider (MSP): For providers of managed network and cloud services, Pertino enhanced its Cloud Network Engine platform to enable partner packaging, provisioning and billing. Participating partners receive wholesale pricing, based on their program level, and are free to bundle Pertino cloud networking with other network, cloud and professional services. Pertino bills MSPs monthly based on the aggregate number of deployed devices across all customers.

Cloud Distributor: Distributors that are making the transition from boxes to cloud services and enablement can now distribute Pertino’s cloud networking service through their downstream reseller and MSP channels and receive recurring revenues.

Strategic Partner: Cloud networking-as-a-service represents a new way to deliver secure, over-the-top (OTT) virtual networks and is already sparking innovative new services that address the unique demands of mobile, cloud and the Internet of Things. Pertino plans to collaborate with strategic partners and leverage its Cloud Network Engine platform to power a range of new, partner-optimized services.

BlueSky Benefits

For BlueSky Affiliate and Reseller program participants, Pertino offers an opportunity to boost revenues while providing an effective solution to the network challenges their customers face as mobile workforces, devices and cloud-based resources proliferate.

MSPs looking to accelerate their migration from break-fix to recurring revenue services will benefit from the margin opportunities afforded by the BlueSky MSP program’s wholesale pricing and flexible licensing model—allowing devices to be cancelled or redeployed at any time without penalty. Even greater margins can be gained by replacing existing hardware with simple, secure, pay-as-you-grow cloud networking. Pertino can also be used to replace or extend tools used to secure and manage customers’ remote workforce and devices, such as remote management and monitoring (RMM) functionality.

By bundling with Pertino cloud networking, participating MSPs and CSBs can augment their existing cloud application and infrastructure services or deliver new “pure cloud” services to provide end users with a LAN-like experience, from anywhere. For example, combining Disaster-Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS) with a Pertino Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) network gives customers a complete and cost-effective business resumption solution in the cloud.

"We see the cloud as an opportunity to deliver new services in new ways to meet the evolving challenges which face our customers, and Pertino cloud networking is a critical enabler," said Jeff Erickson of Erickson Solutions Group. "We're excited about Pertino new BlueSky Partner Program which provides us with tailored plans that increase our margins and a direct line of support that's essential to growing our business."

Pertino has tapped Todd Krautkremer, Pertino’s chief marketing officer, to head the BlueSky Partner Program. He brings significant channel experience from his previous role as vice president of worldwide marketing at Packeteer, where he was responsible for overseeing worldwide channel programs for more than 250 partners in 70 countries. Additionally, as CEO of mobile software startup Gearworks, Krautkremer led strategic partnering efforts with major wireless carriers, including a white-label deal with Verizon Wireless and distribution agreements with Sprint, U.S. Cellular and Vodafone.

“Every new disruptive technology brings opportunity for progressive channel partners who are willing to embrace change and jump the curve,” said Krautkremer. “We’ve crafted our BlueSky Partner Program to help such partners capitalize on the rise of software-defined and cloud-based networking and to address emerging born-in-the-cloud channels, such as Cloud Service Brokers and Cloud Marketplaces.”

Interested partners can go to
pertino.com/partners to learn more about the BlueSky Partner Program, sign up as an Affiliate or engage with a channel specialist to discuss program benefits and qualifications.

About Pertino

Pertino is a modern way to network designed for the mobile and cloud era—simple, secure and delivered as a service. Mobile and cloud technologies are transforming IT, resulting in a hybrid IT model where mobile workforces and cloud applications and workloads are reliant on public Internet connectivity. Our Cloud Network Engine enables any size business to build and manage a private cloud network that overlays the public Internet, securely connecting people, devices and resources anywhere. With AppScape, our network services app store, Pertino cloud networks can be extended with enterprise-level visibility, security and control services. This modern approach to networking combines the power and pervasiveness of the cloud with SDN and virtualization technologies, eliminating the cost and complexity of traditional hardware-based networks. Finally, a wide-area network that is cloud-agile and works the way businesses work today, without hardware, hassles, or high costs. Founded in 2011, Pertino is venture funded by premier firms and headquartered in Los Gatos, Calif. For more information or to try Pertino free for yourself, please visit
pertino.com.